Rescue Me
by JPandS
Summary: Makoto Kino is bored with life, her now peace-filled existence hardly enough to keep her motivated. In an unexpected elevator malfunction, a woman changes her world completely.
1. The Elevator

**Summary:** Makoto Kino is bored with life, her now peace-filled existence hardly enough to keep her motivated. In an unexpected elevator malfunction, a woman changes her world completely.

The beautiful weather and perfect clear sky seemed to elude the tall forlorn brunette as she traveled leisurely on the pavement towards her daily destination. The clicking of her regular forest green heels was the only sound registering in her mind as she exhaled. Bustling surroundings, chipper strangers, brooding bystanders filled the familiar backdrop that was her life. At times, she would immerse herself eagerly into the crowd of new faces but after each encounter, she couldn't help but feel as though she had done this before. Though their features would be different from previous acquaintances, the conversation would always render the same result, which depressed her usually exuberant motivation. A swelling sense of boredom tinged her every being more and more with each waking day, slowly driving her to the brink of insanity. True, she wasn't one that often encouraged change but today, change was something she desperately craved.

She shivered as she opened the door to the establishment responsible for taking five years of her life. She was, of course, grateful for the opportunity to work here since it kept her from having to live on the streets and paid enough for her to be able to pursue further education in culinary arts practices; but the green-eyed woman could no longer muster the same excitement that she used to have. The table arrangements, staff and even the array of condiments at the counter remained in the same distinct spot she had remembered seeing them when she had first arrived and she imagined that they would remain so long into the future. Her ambitions seemed to evade her present state, her mind constantly fixated on the possibility that this may be the extent of her achievements in her lifetime. Sure, she knew that if she was unhappy with her life then she should work to make it better but when she came to that part…she could hardly recognize a way to accomplish this. Her lifelong dream to some day buy her own restaurant had lost its luster somewhere along the way and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't revive her old determination to make it happen.

To be honest, after high school she wasn't sure she wanted to be invested in maintaining a profitable restaurant. Well, at least not yet. She wanted to venture out into the world, see what foreign lands had to offer a thriving young graduate like herself. Pictures of world wonders and infamous tourists sites flooded the walls of her quaintly furnished apartment. Oh what she would give to be able to see these things one day! A small smile crept difficultly at the corner of her lips but was quickly denied as the realization of her current predicament overturned her joy. She didn't have the funds needed to do what it is she wanted.

She rummaged through her pockets for the black ballpoint pen and scratched at the pinned up paper in the kitchen. 'Kino, Makoto Check-in: 8 A.M.'. With a disheveled conscience, she tied on her white apron and made her way to the well-used appliances.

"Mornin Mako-chan!" A young bright-eyed blonde greeted. Makoto returned a smile.

"Morning Kisa," she said. The said girl propped her head on her arms as she observed the auburn-haired chef she had come to grow appreciative of. Lately, Makoto had been aloof. So she had been this way for the past couple months but just recently, she seemed to display it much more openly now which Kisa was unsure if the brunette realized it.

"Miyachi-san was wondering if you'd be willing to do deliveries today since Sione called in sick." Makoto's head immediately rose at this revelation.

"Sure," she agreed. Deliveries weren't exactly the favorite call of duty to most due to the fact that most recipients were impatient and rude when you got there but Makoto didn't feel like staying in the kitchen for another day. "Who would be in the kitchen?" she asked before fully committing to the job.

Kisa shrugged as she was now sorting through a stack of old orders. "I think Miyachi-san said something about coming in himself to cook since he hasn't had much to do as of late."

Makoto grinned, her joy that she was able to do something different for a change displacing her current melancholy. A rush of anticipation washed through her as she contemplated the minute turn of events. Her subconscious secretly scoffed at her sudden influx of delight as she awaited her replacement chef. Sure enough, the stubby figure of her overly generous boss came stocking through the swinging doors of his enterprise.

"It's a pleasure seeing you Miyachi-san," Makoto couldn't help but greet him with a broad smile. Though her embarrassment was consistently knocking on her inhibitions, she could not hide her pure excitement.

"Mako-chan," the short balding man greeted enthusiastically. He hobbled entertainingly towards her as she bowed. "Has Kisa-chan asked already?"

Makoto bobbed her head fervently "Hai."

Her boss nodded. "I know its not the greatest thing to have to do and I ought to fire Sione for all the trouble he's been giving me but with him being the only person willing to take on the job its difficult to just release him. If you don't want to-"

"Don't be silly Miyachi-san, I would be happy to do the deliveries for you," she interrupted, her lovable stocky boss looking up in surprise.

"Really?" he asked. Makoto just nodded in response. His grin stretched from ear to ear, a great weigh seemingly being lifted from his shoulders. "You don't know how happy this makes me Mako-chan, I am truly grateful."

"It's no trouble sir," she said handing him his long unseen apron. His heart swelled with admiration for the tall brunette. Since the first day he met her, he knew that she was something special. He had expected her to be like the other employees of the past…snooty, obnoxious, rude and disobedient but when she walked in, she shined like no other, her politeness drastically differentiable from her outward appearance. With her determination and skill in the kitchen he was certain that one day all her dreams would come true if she continued to believe in herself. The acquired love he had for her surmounted well enough to that of a love that a father had for his only daughter. He sure had a huge soft spot for this one.

"Thank you Mako-chan." He stood proudly at her acceptance and handed the addresses for the deliveries over to her. "Be sure to be careful while you're out there."

Makoto shook her head up and down as she read the addresses. The specially prepared packages were neatly seated on the countertop of the diner. With an appreciative smile, she picked it up and headed out. The busy streets appeared translucent upon her arrival. Though she had known these roads as well as she knew the kitchen of Miyachi-san's diner, she felt inexplicably rejuvenated. Her shoulders were held confidently as she wove through the crowds in search for her first client.

The audacious skyscraper protruded endlessly towards the bright blue sky, its magnificence doing nothing less than awing the exhilarated brunette. All these years of living here, she never seemed to notice this building once. She blushed at the thought. What use was it to mar her walls with pictures of amazing views in foreign lands when she had yet to even marvel at the sites near her home? She shook off the thought and continued into the building. The inside matched the outside perfectly. The glossed marble floors reflected clearly the shimmering windows of the building and the people in it. It was like stepping into a new world. Makoto looked around in amazement at the open spaces and well dressed inhabitants. So this is what it feels like to walk the halls of a top rated company, she droned. She imagined that Rei and Setsuna would probably experience this daily due to their heightened aptitude in subjects that would intertwine with this type of lifestyle.

"Excuse me ma'am." A man in a navy blue uniform sporting a shiny gold badge had interrupted her reverie. "Can I help you?"

For the first time, Makoto noticed her underdressed presence. While women walked in their pencil skirts and ironed blouses, she donned a knee-length black skirt and a loosely fitted green turtleneck with the sleeves scrunched up to her elbows. Her cheeks momentarily flushed at her realization.

"I'm sorry sir," she muttered. "I'm supposed to drop this off to the thirteenth floor."

The security guard bobbed his head in contemplation as he looked at the box in her hands. "Alright," he said. "The elevator is just over there." Makoto's eyes followed in the direction that he pointed and she nodded graciously. Surprisingly, not many people were boarding the metal clad transporters. With a shrug, she awaited the arrival of a vacant steel room. The resonating _DING_ pulled her attention as the doors slid open. To her surprise, a woman suddenly appeared behind her entering as she pushed the button reading thirteen. For an untold reason, Makoto started shifting uncomfortably.

_What's wrong with me? _She cringed as she felt her senses screaming for her to be alert. She hadn't felt this way in a long time and she equated that it could possibly be due to the fact that she hadn't been in an elevator in a while so her body was protesting, but somehow it didn't convince her. She glanced over to the woman beside her and shook her head. There was nothing unusual about her, and she didn't appear to be at all threatening. Makoto frowned. Beads of sweat formulated disapprovingly on her brow, her mind scolding her body for being so resistant to her pleas to calm down.

"Kino, Makoto?"

The brunette's ears perked at the mention of her name, her body exalting in 'hah I told you something wasn't right!' Makoto gulped, her mind still unwilling to accept that she could be in any line of danger.

"Yes," she replied hesitantly.

"Perfect."

Makoto immediately regretted the admission as she felt the steel contraption screech to a halt. Makoto gripped nervously to the metal bar beside her and started jabbing incessantly with her index at the buttons.

"Don't be afraid Kino-san," she heard the woman speak. Growing irritation consumed her as she ignored the stranger's advice.

"Don't be afraid?" she cried. "I'm stuck in a frickin elevator!" Every movie she had ever seen involving stalling elevators seemed to flood her mind unceremoniously. Each resulted in a huge crash of which only the protagonist and his newly found love would survive. And being as she was in no way involved with a bulking masculine ex-soldier hero, she was sure that she would not make it out of this elevator alive if it chose to take a regretful plunge.

"It has been stopped for a reason."

Makoto's body tensed at the simple phrase. Her eyes seemed to glower in anticipation as her crouching figure stood upright. She remained with her back towards the unknown woman in deliberation. Somehow, she expected this woman's revelation was a hint to something greater than just a simple malfunction or test of elevator cables. Her mind raced with possibilities, each inadequately supplementing her answer. Who was this woman? She didn't trigger Makoto's sixth sense so she couldn't be included in the experiences of her past. She winced. Then what did she want from her?

"The elevator will resume its course as soon as our business here is complete," the woman explained.

"Business?" Makoto questioned. Her stomach churned in uncertainty as she heard this. She traced back as far as she could and couldn't fathom in the slightest what she could have done to deserve this. The woman nodded.

"You have been chosen Kino, Makoto to take part in Operation Metempsychosis under the Fire Lotus organization's careful supervision. We've selected a particular group of people to undergo rigorous training in battlefield combat and piloting to counter an uprising tyrant known strictly by a name that evokes fear in all those who know of it. Our enemy, has infiltrated our headquarters, annihilated our greatest assets and continues to wreak havoc on our territory and have extended threats to the entire country. Do you accept the call to join our efforts in protecting civilians from this menace?"

Makoto's closed her eyes in disdain. "Look," she started still facing away from the stranger. "I'm sorry to hear about your problems that you're having at your organization but I didn't sign up to join anyone so I would appreciate it if you just turned on the elevator again and let me get back to doing my job."

The green-eyed brunette arched an inquisitive eyebrow at the silence that followed. Curiously, she turned to see if the woman was still there. A click rendered her body motionless, the black steel pointed at her eliciting small tremors of anxiety from Makoto.

"What're you doing?" Makoto fumed. The woman stood expressionless, her charcoal eyes trained on her target.

"If you will not accept, then I have no choice but to silence you." Makoto's pulsating heart rate moved her to action. In a whir of movement, she somehow found herself pinning the unknown woman to the ground with the gun thrown in the corner.

"I see now why they chose you." Makoto seemed sickened by her statement. Who was 'they' and how did they know about her? By the sound of it, they seemed to be trying to stir up a war of which she wanted no part in. She had barely recovered completely from the greatest battle of her life, she didn't need to be involved in another one.

"What do you want from me?" She hissed, guilt conflicting with her current situation. This woman was in no way equipped to be able to counter her attack and for this she didn't feel right pinning her to the ground. Although this woman had pointed a gun at her, she knew that it was just an ornament intended to instill her with fear to make up for the girl's insufficient physical strength.

"You." Makoto could no longer handle the culpability. She released the woman and hastily snatched up the gun in the corner. Her concerns were confirmed with the single syllable that seemed to resonate in her ears. _"You."_ She grimaced. In the small area available, she paced up and down.

"My orders were specific," the woman took the opportunity to speak. "If you will not accept this call, then I must make you accept it."

"And how will you do that?" Makoto retorted in disbelief. In a mere second she was able to take her gun and pin her to the ground so her power was pretty much nonexistent in the presence of the Amazon warrior.

"The elevator cables are scheduled to be cut in three minutes if I do not report your willingness to join Operation Metempsychosis. Should you accept then I will call it off. If you try to escape after accepting the call from the Fire Lotus then the three snipers currently surrounding Miyachi-san's diner are to open fire." The relaxed tone in her voice irked the now panicked Makoto. Was this really happening? She woke up this morning complaining that her life had grown dull and now it appeared that someone had humorously intervened.

"So what do you say Kino-san, do you accept?" The woman stood dauntless before her, the resigned emotion in her eyes leaving Makoto convinced that she meant every word she said. "Well?"

"Okay," Makoto's head was hung low, her conscience fully aware that she would regret this day. "I accept."

_**Ah! I know its so horrible that I should get another idea for another story when I have yet to even come close to completing the ones I started years ago =/ But I couldn't help it. Ugh, it's a terrible habit that I have yet to fix sorry. My idea for this story is to make it a Mako/Heero fic but hah hopefully I can keep the steam going and complete my older stories before working more on this one. Thanks for reading and I hope you are not too angry that I would start another story without yet finishing the other ones. I was hoping Disaster was the last of my new stories but I guess I was wrong ^^: Review if you please! Suggestions and constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated.**_

_**JPandS**_


	2. The Limo

**Thank you everyone that reviewed! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter =)**

Disclaimer: I don't own SM or GW.

"It was a wise decision to accept."

Makoto glared at the woman sitting across from her, the tinted windows of the limo concealing any awkward actions or expressions made inside. Her hands were bound tightly together, as were her knees and ankles.

"Given the options, I didn't have much of a choice did I?"

Two armed men sat securely to the sides of the vehicle, their eyes sheltered by the sunglasses conveniently resting on their noses. Black suits, black ties and a white shirt beneath their vests. Had Makoto not been in such a compromising position, she might have found humor in the cliché of their appearances. Hell, if she wasn't so angered she might have been able to marvel at the fact that this was her first time in a luxurious limo too!

"I suppose."

The woman's fingers hung lazily to the stem of a champagne glass as she sat in silent contemplation. It bothered Makoto how natural the woman seemed and how the situation in no way appeared awkward or out of the ordinary.

"You shouldn't be so upset, you know. We're merely giving you the opportunity to contribute to society in a way greater than the services that you currently render. To be enraged by the fact that you're going to fight for your people would be selfish, don't you think?"

Makoto's jaw clenched with irritation. Was this woman really insinuating that she was self-centered? Most of her teen years were spent in protecting this planet from unknown evils and this woman had the audacity to call her selfish! Makoto scoffed.

"I've fought enough for these people."

Her heart ached a bit as she said this. She didn't really mean it, but the words escaped before she could even think. She didn't mind fighting for these people, not really. Though they often overlooked her compassionate soul due to her outward appearance, she still couldn't bring herself to regret lending years of her youth towards their safety. If anything, she missed it. However, this new society that had so ruthlessly recruited her struck no chord of honesty or trustworthiness that her pigtailed blonde friend had maintained with ease.

"You think so?"

The regretful brunette grimaced as she realized her statement had triggered a short-lived shimmer of interest in the woman's eyes. A gulp soothed the coarse throat of the emerald-eyed prisoner as she tried to assimilate a way to discretely change the subject. Fortunately, a period of long silence overwhelmed the impatient captor as she exhaled disdainfully.

"Never mind," she waved. "I don't really care for your opinion in the matter as it will make no difference to me either way."

She took a gracious sip of her drink and exhaled. Loathing festered in the pit of Makoto's dejected chest. She should have knocked the woman unconscious in the elevator and taken her chances!

"What is it with you anyways?" The woman burst unexpectedly. It was obvious that Makoto's previous statement hadn't really been dismissed from her mind. "What makes you think you've done enough in this world? You've been nothing more than a mere waitress or chef! Do you really believe your efforts make a difference on this planet?"

Makoto smirked. It was amazing to witness how little this woman knew about her and it was even more amazing how her accidental response could have irked her so much. Why, up until this point, she had thought the woman to be immovable. Again, the woman shrugged off her inquiries and hastily drank her liquor. Apparently, there was something stressful underlying this interaction.

"All this mindless chatter has nearly caused me to forget the purpose of this meeting."

At this, Makoto watched carefully as the woman pulled out a folder from her briefcase. After smoothing out her skirt, the woman spoke handing papers to her bodyguards who in turn held them in Makoto's view.

"The Fire Lotus organization has manned many numerous operations focused on maintaining peace throughout the world. We have warded off dictators, tyrants and many other factions fixated on enslavement of the people. Recently, we have been getting threats from a particularly powerful group that has demanded that we cease our activity and claim their leader as our own."

Makoto's eyes skimmed the pictures that were passed in front of her as she listened in silence.

"Because we refuse to heed their admonitions, they have taken up arms against us and managed to successfully deplete most of our primary resources."

Makoto's gut wrenched at the mention of "resources". Somehow, she didn't think the woman was talking about materialistic items…

"So," the woman looked sternly at her. "We have started recruiting in hopes to create an army that can adequately challenge this group."

A photo split in five sections was enough to render Makoto's heart silent. She shuddered as her instincts warned her of the validity of this presentation. They couldn't be telling her everything. Their bias must have heavily influenced this information. Hopefully though, these five machines didn't match the name that had immediately stained her conscience.

"These are Gundams."

Makoto cursed. She was right. Legends and stories of the immaculate strength revolving around the five rebel-made Gundams rushed interminably to her thoughts, her racing pulse leaving her anxious.

"Aren't the Gundam pilots good?"

The war with the mobile suits was a topic that she hardly paid attention to but she knew that somewhere in there, she was told that the Gundam pilots were good guys. The piercing eyes of the woman across from her led her to believe that maybe she was misinformed.

"We had once believed that they were," the woman droned. "Until they started attacking us for no apparent reason..."

Makoto's beating organ pained her immensely as she sat conflicted. Ami, Ami had told her that the Gundam pilots were people to thank. Had it not been for their skill and determination, then the world may have been faced with a corrupt leader bent on inflicting destruction on those that tried to rebuke him. So because Ami said it, Makoto found it difficult to consider the words from this woman. After all, this woman had in a way forced her into accepting this call and if a side was good then they would never use such archaic tactics to recruit people, would they?

"Aren't they supporters of the Peacecraft family?"

Now this was something she had found out for herself. When the headlines were plagued with titles like _The Peacecraft Legacy Lives _or _Salvation has come, the Peacecrafts have Returned_ she couldn't keep herself from reading more (and the fact that a certain platinum blonde man's picture was plastered on every cover helped in further convincing Makoto that it was a subject worth her attention). That was when she discovered the great efforts of the Peacecraft family and how their surviving children appeared to uphold the same standards as their parents. She remembered because their ideals reminded her of Usagi-chan and anyone that held a semblance to Usagi had unconsciously earned a certain level of trust from Makoto herself.

The woman pressed her lips in a tight frown. She hadn't expected this. The other recruits had so willingly accepted her calling to them but this woman was filled with questions. Already, she could see that this would be difficult and she questioned whether the brunette's skills were even worth developing.

"Milliardo Peacecraft," she started. "Has regretfully denounced his title as heir to the Peacecraft's kingdom and left his sister, Relena Peacecraft, to assume leadership. She of course, has done well in practicing peaceful administrations and has even managed to gain the trust of much of the public. However, we believe that her advisors may have become corrupt with power."

Immediately, Makoto's suspicion was raised.

"They feel threatened by the Fire Lotus organization and have somehow convinced Relena that we should be stopped."

"Can't you guys figure out a way to resolve this without a war? Talk it over?"

The woman heaved a labored breath and closed her eyes.

"We tried," she said. "But they attacked us nonetheless. Our best diplomats and pacifists scheduled to meet with the princess and her staff, but they refused. Soon after, the Gundams destroyed our main base killing 300 men and women in their sleep. 164 were injured, 40 of whom are still receiving medical treatment and 8 who are now paralyzed."

Makoto flinched. Death and serious injury were never matters that she took lightly. Her heart could never ignore the pain that friends or family must have felt when they were told that their brother, sister, father, mother, friend or companion was no longer living. Her eyes shut painfully in recognition. The searing anguish she bore for the unexpected loss of her parents still tortured her grieving soul so she could just imagine how others could have felt about the same situation.

"It has been difficult to assume that Relena Peacecraft can no longer be considered an ally, but clear rebuke of our efforts to reconcile has left us no choice but to try and fight back. We are strong advocates of our beliefs and we refuse to just surrender to the power of the Gundams."

Makoto sighed. Two large egos butting heads, it could never end well.

"I don't wanna fight _your_war."

She had said this before but the statement was ignored. Even now, she knew the woman wouldn't accept her obvious refusal to engage in this battle.

"Do you enjoy peace?"

"What?"

"Do you enjoy peace?"

Makoto looked skeptically at the woman as she repeated the question. Of course she enjoyed peace, but what exactly was this woman trying to get at?

"Yes, I do." Makoto replied.

"Well, what is peace other than a simple ideology put into place when efforts of war have been long expended? Peace is just an admission that war is no longer feasible thus both sides must retire their weapons and coexist without too much resistance. Without war there could be no peace."

Makoto rolled her eyes. "Though I sometimes like to believe that my efficacy in philosophy is sufficient enough to accommodate debate, I really don't care about your 'theory' of how peace is inevitably tied to war."

The woman scowled and in response, Makoto smiled. She was proud of herself. The reply she had sounded surprisingly well educated! And even before that, she was actually able to understand the point this still unnamed woman was trying to make! All those years of listening to Ami's super genius lingo must've somehow rubbed off on her. Makoto's eyes glimmered in giddy satisfaction as she took in the woman's frustrated demeanor. It was apparent that this woman was trying to bring up some abstract explanation of how Makoto should engage herself in this war because it would mean peace for future generations but Makoto really didn't want to hear it. It was bad enough that she had to suffer the torment of playing along with this radical group called the "Fire Lotus" until she could find a way out that would spare any casualties, so she really didn't need strangers implementing their perspectives on a war that probably didn't need to happen.

"You're lack of intellectual prowess offends me."

Makoto did hard to stifle a laugh but was miserably unable. The berating chuckle only fueled the hatred in the woman's eyes as she glared at the brunette.

"You do know what will happen if we feel you are not fully participating in our cause, don't you?"

By this, Makoto immediately went cold. It wasn't hard for her to imagine what the woman meant by these words. At the sight of Makoto's tightly locked jaw, the woman smirked.

"What?" She jeered. "No witty comebacks?"

Makoto's silence as voiced over by the accomplished laughs of the recruiter.

"Oh Kino-san, it is so easy to find your weakness. Too easy even. All one has to do is threaten the life of a civilian and you would do anything."

Makoto's mind raced in attempts to find some kind of loophole in her statement. _I wouldn't care if they targeted some random person would I? _She flinched as she realized that the people she use to spend her time protecting from the Negaverse were often strangers that she never met before. Her head sauntered lower in recognizing that her Achilles heel was so easy to detect. Why did she have to be this way? Why did she have to care so much about the safety of strangers?

"Admitting defeat, are we?"

Makoto was tired. She no longer wanted to play these petty games with this woman. All she wanted now was to get to wherever they were headed and figure a way to get out without endangering somebody.

"Hardly," she mumbled.

Her heart was sinking undeniably lower as she tried to convince herself that she would still be able to escape this turn of events but the truthful idea that this would take longer than she had expected seemed to leave her feeling anxious.

"Well," the woman spoke. "If you do in fact try anything suspicious, someone will pay for your mistake." She smiled in content. "Now, I've briefed you on your mission. The first step is training."

The limo pulled to a halt, Makoto's curious eyes skimming the outside terrain.

"Welcome to the Warehouse."

**Well there's that.**

**This chapter was basically just laying down a foundation, not really interesting stuff but I think it was necessary XD Anyways, thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**

**JPandS**


	3. The Warehouse

It was worse than an overused men's locker room, the stench of body odor intermixed with salty sweat and moldy socks. Crinkling her nose in detestation, Makoto was pulled callously through the building, eyes trailing after her in curiosity. The space inside seemed infinite, hundreds on hundreds of people, mostly men, engaging in various stations, grunts and groans filling her ears along with jeering catcalls. She averted her eyes, not wanting to catch a glimpse of them for fear that she would lose her cool and attack. It had been a while since she actually got into a fight, something that she wasn't too disappointed about, but now regretting. Living a normal life with no one to protect put her martial arts on the back burner, never really feeling the need to practice as often. Now, however, she was hoping her skills hadn't weakened too much.

The woman pulled Makoto into an office; her pair of well-dressed cronies gripping to Makoto's still fastened arms. They forced her down into a chair, the brunette's jaw clenched as she tried to release her rising anger. The woman pulled out a drawer behind the desk and threw a pair of green camouflage cargo pants along with a tank top. Soon after, a set of heavy-duty boots were tossed by her feet.

"Change," the woman stated, Makoto's bindings instantaneously cut.

She rubbed her wrists, her eyes shifting between the woman and her guards. Already she was trying to figure a way out of here, the stern look on the woman opposite her suggesting she had already suspected this.

"In front of you? What kind of perverted game is this?" Makoto protested, a tight frown pressed across her lips as she realized they woman would not make it easy for her to escape.

"Do you prefer to do it out there?"

Makoto's lips pressed into a hardly visible line, her emeralds darkening in abhorrence. Her heart was pounding for her to give the woman a more physical response but she withheld with great difficulty. The woman's lifeless eyes glared at her expectantly and Makoto's heart began to break as she reluctantly began to strip her clothes before them. She could see that the woman was hoping she would refuse so she could further embarrass her by putting her naked body in view of all other uninvited eyes so she didn't want to push too far on this matter. Though over the years she learned to accept herself in her own skin, she still respected her body in that it was not something she just showed off the world.

She flinched when she noticed the woman beckon to the two guards to come closer when only her bra and panties remained. Goosebumps rippled across her bare skin as their hands again gripped her arms, their eyes undoubtedly straying from their trained gazes on their boss to Makoto's anatomy. She grit her teeth, muscles tensing as she tried to sooth her bolstering ego.

"Spread 'em."

Makoto's eyes darted like lasers towards the woman, who now had a latex glove stretched over one offensive hand.

"What?" Makoto retorted as viciously as she could.

With a raised eyebrow, the woman temporarily smirked with degrading laughter.

"You really do want me to take you out there and do this in public, don't you?"

It was shameful, dishonorable, disgraceful and vile but Makoto complied. Her bottom lip quivered as she felt the last bit of her clothing get torn off, the woman's pervading hand roughly pushing in places she should have never been. For what purpose did this serve than to break someone of their idealized modesty and perceived control over their own fate? As Makoto stood stark naked she was disgusted. Disgusted by the men that were watching in quiet amusement, disgusted by the woman who had put this upon her and disgusted in herself for letting it happen. Tears wanted so desperately to seep out but she forced them to remain in their place. Violated enough already, she didn't want to give the woman more satisfaction by crying.

Her arms were released, the invasion ceased and Makoto was empty. In one swift swoop her drive was gone, the ire in her heart nonexistent as she stared blankly into the ground. She hadn't known just how cruel normal human existence could be until now.

"Get dressed."

Makoto's hollow gaze fell limply upon her new attire of which she could hardly recall putting on. Her limbs had felt numb, her soul nearly undetectable as she mindlessly dragged frigidly behind the again moving woman.

Powerless. That's what it was. She felt powerless against her. In all of Makoto's life she had strived to avoid this, strived to strengthen herself so that no one else could hurt her like her parents had when they died. Physical strength had somehow been some strange answer, an answer she had believed would free her from the grief but it was not so. All it did was lead her to more pain, introduce her to more stipulations, ravaged her into more unwanted situations.

The woman was talking with a burly, giant of a man, his gruff voice humming slightly on Makoto's senses as she still appeared void. Powerless and she hated it. The term itself had managed to suck out of her any resolve to regain control of herself. Even the motivation to escape was slowly disappearing. The voices of the pair were drowned by her undying depression, eyes shifting towards her but she didn't care.

She felt her feet stumble as an impolite shove was thrust against her side. With stoic eyes she lifted her head to come in contact with the burly man's rough charcoal gaze.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a new trainee, boys," he sneered earning a chorus of laughter as he too chuckled heartily.

He forcefully gripped Makoto by the thin fabric of her shirt, pushing his forehead close to hers as if to further intimidate her but she merely stared unmoving.

"Round herre all my soldiers are referred ta as boys, ya don't like it I don' give a tiny rat's *$. I don't carre if you'r a woman orr tranny you'll answer to whatever I call ya, understand?"

He didn't wait for an answer; rather he just brusquely released her, stuffing a thick cigar in between his teeth as he grabbed the firearm in his back holster. He paced leisurely as he checked the ammunition and clicked around casually.

"What's yer name son?"

An eye looked expectantly from beneath his unkempt eyebrow, Makoto idly catching it then sighing.

"Kino Makoto," she mumbled hazily.

"Kino," he repeated. "Soun's like a bran' a cheap dog food," he laughed.

Makoto inwardly shook her head in disdain. It made no sense, his jeer, but the men of his platoon dare not stay silent as they again joined him in his humor. Finally finished toying with his gun, he stood about four feet away from her with an unsettling smirk across his face.

"Ever been shot beforr?" He asked.

Makoto looked graven as her senses picked up on an unmentioned strain of danger in his question. Her stomach churned as if to tell her not to answer but against her better judgment, she did.

"No."

"Then let's fix that."

A sharp stab pierced through her side, a sharp inhale catching her lungs in an awkward high as they refused to settle back down to their supposed vicinity. Her pupils dilated as she stood, body trembling all over in shock. Somehow, her head sauntered lower to look at the patch of red spreading gradually across her starch white shirt. The pain was familiar, too familiar surprisingly. Her hand gripped to the new wound as she steadily lost focus in her eyes. She gulped.

_"Jupiter!" Sailor Moon cried. "Jupiter!"_

_ The senshi of lightening looked forlorn as she stared into the tearing blue eyes of her princess._

_ "Usagi-chan," she muttered. _

_ She lay on the ground littered with the bodies of her other comrades, their soulless eyes foreshadowing the inevitable look that would soon stain her own visage._

_ "Not you too!" She cried. "Please don't leave me!"_

_ Watery droplets clouded Jupiter's vision as she somberly tried to find words to sooth her princess in her dying wake._

_ "Please Usagi-chan," she muttered weakly. "Don't mourn for me, you're making me sad. Do what I could not and defeat Chaos before it's too late. We could never forgive you if you just gave up because of us."_

_ Her lips were stained with a frown, the pathetic nature of her words stinging as her body was crippled by its inability to face this power. She felt the lids of her eyes shutting slowly as every last inch of herself begged for her princess' forgiveness. She had tried so many years to grow stronger so that she could protect Usagi only to find that she had not worked hard enough. Chaos was upon them and she couldn't even lay a finger on her. In her conscience she grimaced sorrowfully, her life slipping into a pool of regret. All the sweat and blood was for nothing, it would surmount to nothing. Her power was pitiful in comparison to Chaos, as it would always be…_

Makoto shot up harshly, her body cringing at the sudden jerk. She hissed uneasily, gripping to her bandaged side in the process. Slowly, she forced her breathing to calm down, her sweat-drenched body crouched forward in silent meditation.

It was that dream again, the dream that she couldn't for the life of her get rid of. She had tried reconciling by discussing it with Usagi and had received much comfort but still the memory plagued her. Even though she was brought back to life, like many other times, it never seemed to make a difference. In every death she had lost something and was never even able to discern what it was exactly. And how can you fix that when you don't even know what it was that was lost?

"Troubling dream?"

Makoto's head snapped to the side to see the producer of the voice. A gracefully aged man stood with a lab coat over his shoulders, staring.

"Yeah," Makoto hesitantly responded.

She exhaled slowly, assuming the man was the doctor that had tended to her newly acquired wound. He shuffled towards her and examined the bandages without protests from her.

"Soldiers often do have trouble sleeping."

Makoto's brow scrunched.

"I'm not a soldier," she quickly refuted.

The doctor frowned apologetically, which she couldn't quite understand.

"Then I would hate to see what kind of life you've had before now." He was genuinely concerned, his aged eyes wilting in respectful sympathy.

Makoto looked away, rubbing her head as she did so.

"Yeah," she whispered. "You and me both."

She was undeniably sinking in her mind, the night terrors feeling even more unbearable due to the new conditions she had been placed under. The doctor began to cut the bandages, her skin suddenly reveling in breathability. She sat up straight, trying her best to make his job easier to which he silently thanked.

"If you're not a soldier," he started. "What is it that you are doing in their quarters?"

Makoto huffed indignantly, obviously still cross about being there.

"I was recruited," she let out.

"From where?" He asked curiously.

This girl had caused a great riot, one of which the leaders of this entire camp stuck their critical gaze upon. Her brawny strength was incredible, the way she hauled countless men with ease across the room surprising everyone. Hordes of men and women alike tried to knock her unconscious but she deflected their efforts without an ounce of struggle. She may have even managed to take out the whole camp if it wasn't for a particularly skilled unruly haired boy with the coldest Prussian blue eyes the doctor had ever seen.

"Miyachi-san's diner."

The elderly doctor blinked in disbelief. Was she being sarcastic? By the stern look on her face, he could see no attempt to be funny so he awkwardly absorbed the answer and nodded. Perhaps Miyachi-san's diner was an alias for some type of underground army that he was cultivating for his own personal vendettas.

"I see."

He got to work quickly, wrapping her torso with brand new bandages. Her wound had been healing at an alarmingly fast rate, his inquiries of the history of this girl growing more and more every second. She had troubled dreams similar to a soldier's, withstood nearly a hundred soldiers after getting shot and was recruited from a place called Miyachi-san's diner? Surely there was something missing in all these dead-end responses.

As he continued his art, he briefly glanced upwards catching an angle of her features that reminded him greatly of a charismatic young fellow he had once known. A small laugh of reminiscence accidentally escaped, his head shaking as the memories flooded his mind.

Swept with interest, Makoto turned her attention to him.

"What?" she asked curiously in reference to his unsuspected little chuckle of delight.

"Nothing," he said with a smile. "It just struck me how much you look like someone I use to know."

Makoto arched an eyebrow.

"Really?" She asked. Though she doubted she knew who he was talking about, she still felt inclined to pry.

"Mmhmm," the old doctor hummed. "He was a soldier many years ago, a great one at that. He was a big strapping man but a big softy at heart."

Makoto smirked as she pictured what the man must've looked like, the fuzzy imagination somehow reaching into her secluded heart lightly. She shook her head.

"He married a rich young lady who was the sole heiress to a large fortune, though no one knew it unless she told them. She wasn't like other rich girls strutting around in fancy clothes and mannerisms. She was immensely humble and smitten the moment she met _him_. Her father approved, since the young lad was a respected soldier with a promising future ahead of him." The doctor peered up brightly, suddenly taking notice of Makoto's sparkling emerald irises. He stood baffled.

"Why," he murmured as his heart jolted with excitement. "You've got her marvelous green eyes, yourself. I've never seen such a jade that matched hers so well!"

Makoto slunk back a bit, blinking with surprise. She didn't know what to make of it but luckily the old man didn't harbor on his new discovery, choosing instead to disclose more information about this old couple.

"They were pacifists, much like the Winner family and the Peacecraft family. Those three enterprises alone were the strongest forefront of peace this planet has ever known. They were rich, kind and uncorrupt by power."

"Sounds admirable," Makoto commented.

"They were in deed the most admirable! I've never met any kinder couples than from those families. But I was closest to _them_." He rummaged through a drawer, grabbing tape as he persisted. "They started this organization, you know?"

At this, Makoto's attention was peeked, her ears perking in response.

"Really?"

He nodded slowly, his smile sadly disappearing.

"But they're not running it anymore," he stated somberly. "They've been gone for a long time now and to be honest I don't think they would enjoy the new direction the Fire Lotus has taken…"

He said the last part in a whisper, his head hastily shaking as if to reprimand himself for the slip up.

"But its all opinion," he said with a feigned smile. "Everyone always thinks they can lead better than the next guy, it's a simple fact of human nature."

Makoto bobbed her head as if to agree and watched as he finished tending to her wound.

"So who leads now?" she asked.

The more she could find out about this organization, the better her chances were. Why exactly, she was still unsure, but she prodded along anyways.

"Their daughter," he answered. "She had been missing for quite some time but the family's closest general was able to find her."

"Missing?" Makoto sounded surprised.

The old doctor nodded.

"She and her parents were out of the public eye for some time, hiding out because some nasty people were out to destroy them. There were a few incidents where they nearly killed the baby so to keep their newborn safe, they disappeared. Then one fateful day seventeen years ago they were found dead."

For reasons Makoto couldn't fathom, she felt anxious, the story inkling at a distant part of her conscience. With senses screaming in her ears to hear more, she asked.

"How did they die?"

The old doctor was startled by the rough clanging of the door as it swung briskly open, the conversation at hand quickly ended at the arrival of the familiar platoon leader who now had a swelling right eye with a large bluish bruise on his cheek. He growled when he saw Makoto, who did not quite understand why he appeared so angry.

"Finally awake," his voice rumbled throughout the medical wing, Makoto's ears ringing slightly.

"Oh really, I didn't notice," she said, her sarcasm thankfully returning.

Her stay in the medical wing had done more than just heal her physical wound, it somehow managed to salvage her personality as well. Supposedly the old doctor's nature helped to remind her of the good things in the world.

The general growled.

"Get up," he barked. "We're taking you to your real sleeping quarters."

Behind him, Makoto spotted the loathsome woman whom she glared at until she was out of sight. With the green-eyed brunette gone along with her platoon leader, the woman turned to the old man left behind.

"Not filling more soldiers with idiotic tales, are we?" She asked suspiciously.

The old man was frowning, his wrinkled skin grim as he shook his head.

"Of course not," he muttered.

The woman seemed to linger longer, her presence still not convinced by his words.

"Better not be."

Her heels clicked away, the old doctor sighing in dismay. This organization certainly was not the way it used to be. The Peacecrafts had their warriors of peace which could now be summed up as the Gundam pilots, the Winners had the Magnac Corps and this place…he grimaced. They had nothing but corrupt leaders who would ultimately create corrupt soldiers. His heart felt for the young brunette he had just encountered especially because she seemed so similar to the couple that he honored so faithfully. She would fall into the destroying hands of this tainted organization and for this he was truly sorry.

His eyes drifted to a small vile atop the counter holding fluid of a deep maroon. Her blood. She had a great gift of healing quickly and he wondered if he could discover her secrets in there. With a sigh, he took the vile, and shuffled to his lab.

**Thanks for reading!**

**And thanks for the reviews!**

IkariPanda:_ lol hope you're sore feet are better now XD as I'm sure they are! I've never seen Warehouse 13 but I have seen that title while I was flipping through channels one day lol Anywho, glad you enjoyed that chapter! _

Aquatonic:_ I'm glad you found it interesting! Hopefully it continues to be interesting! lol my younger sister often reads my chaps before I post them and the ones for this story tend to put her to sleep XD Hopefully that is not the case for everyone._

Fatal Mars:_ Thank you for your comment! I'm glad it came off serious as I sometimes struggle with that kind of portrayal as it often seems corny or cheesy. Also I'm glad you think I've improved! There's no fun in staying the same ^^_

blackrider11:_ Its good to hear that you still thought it fascinating because I was pretty excited to write it. Hopefully this chapter didn't disappoint even though nothing much really happened. I seem to moving at slow paces lately..._

**This story seems to have a lot of talking…hopefully its interesting talking though…**

**Again, I appreciate you guys for reading this!**

**Let me know what you think!**

**JPandS**


	4. The Barracks

Warning: This chapter is PG-13 for language and is a bit raunchy.

Disclaimer: I don't own SM or GW.

* * *

The barracks were harshly informative. Makoto learned a number of things, most of which were crucial to her chance of survival as the rest were over enthused sex stories she wished she had never heard. She admittedly considered herself a helpless romantic, so being constantly bombarded by lewd stories of sexual encounters and crude language made her dreams of an innocent love so much more impossible. Luckily, however, the same men and women of her platoon that felt the need to divulge their explicit stories had made it a goal to avoid offending her as her display of power a week prior left a lasting impression on each of them.

She couldn't remember even a glimpse of what she had done, but the unfair obstacles General "I-Don't-Give-a-Shit" kept forcing on her and the secretive hurrahs she received for visibly bruising the Warehouse's most established general were so overwhelming she nearly begged her so called peers to tell her exactly what happened. It was a high-nosed female soldier that actually took her plea into consideration as the others assumed Makoto was just fishing for a reenactment that would bolster her ego. They were confident enough men to congratulate her for her feat but they weren't so enthused about the idea that she might actually start to think she was one of the top prospects and possibly even better than they were. Her hand-to-hand skills may have been exceptional but her mental capabilities were another story.

According to Mia Haineko, the platoon's highly esteemed spy, Makoto had attacked the General almost immediately after she was shot. Originally, he commended her fight spirit and entertained her by fighting back but when she failed to desist after his frequent orders to withdraw, he was much less enthused. Men and women of the platoon flocked to ward her off but she seemed bent on vengeance and managed a long resistance which hadn't gone unnoticed by anyone in the Warehouse. A Hiei with no last name was the one to stop her, a cold-eyed soldier that was famed for his unmatched skill. After that, Makoto had finally understood why the General had taken such a high distaste for her and she wished she could take that moment back. There went her plan to sneak out once she had the chance. With all the buzz and attention she brought to herself, there was practically no chance in escaping.

Of course, that wasn't her only problem. Along with admirers, she had gained quite a number of enemies, dangerous enemies. The veteran soldiers who were the cream of the crop before she came were now alert and every time she passed any of them, she could feel their eyes burning into her back as if calculating her physical prowess and yearning to challenge her. Sometimes she wished they would to save her from the discomfort of having to endure their piercing stares, but when she was stuck in her unfair training simulations that she suspected were made with the intent to completely annihilate her, she felt her doubts bubble without hindrance.

She was slow. Her body didn't move with the same ease she once had almost five years ago and she nearly despised the fact that she had gone so long without training. Generally her health was well above average, but it was nowhere near the peak it once stood at. After Chaos, the need for consistent practice and rigorous training became less of a must and more of an optional activity. Sure, Makoto would from time to time have to handle the late night thugs that might've intercepted her on one of her walks home but they had never really been a problem. A quick jab, a swift sweep and a sharp heel digging into their gut was enough to discourage them whereas here her opponents actually had counter-attacks. It was true she managed to fight off a horde of people on her first day, but she accounted that to her rare blackout and from experience she knew that when she was caught in something like that, the best thing for anyone around her to do was get away. They were dangerous, uncontrolled and hard to trigger. None of her blackouts had ever resulted in something good and she considered herself lucky that blackout number three didn't lead her to a casket. Supposedly these people were much more interested in keeping her alive than dead. This in itself was both comforting and equally unsettling.

Exhausted, Makoto collapsed, her body heavy as her lungs threatened to burst. Sweat streamed from her pores, her hair limply clinging to the curves of her neck and now flushed face. She reached the end of her current obstacle course but with the General who was full of surprises, she couldn't quite allow herself to completely give into rest. For the others, they'd be allowed a shower and released for dinner in the cafeteria but not with Makoto who had given him a black eye and supposedly twisted his ankle. The latter was still unconfirmed since he seemed to be walking without a limp but the others insisted that he wore an expensive brace that helped keep his strut smooth. But, for her own sake, she hoped it was a lie.

Feebly, she forced herself to her feet, wiping the sweat from her head with a weak hand. If he saw her lying down in exhaustion she was certain her circumstances would only worsen. But still, with his tactic, he'd probably just throw in a surprise fighting tournament anyways, which was rumored to be coming up fairly soon.

She straightened herself into an acceptable position when she noticed the elevator doors beginning to open and with a scoff she had to force down her newly acquired distaste for elevator compartments. As always, he stood broad-shouldered and unimpressed, his boots pounding against the floor as he moved towards her.

"Five minutes and 47 seconds. Ya call that stealth?"

Makoto frowned, choosing not to respond from prior experience.

"I distinc'ly recall tellin ya that I wanted it dunn in less tha' three minutes."

Makoto had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. The requirement was eight minutes and to finish in less than six minutes was considered an amazing feat to her peers. Only a handful of people had completed that particular course below six minutes and two of that handful had tied for the record time of two minutes and 50 seconds which was considered inhuman.

"Well?"

Makoto's jade eyes darted to his, her gaze settling on the fading bruise that consistently reminded her of the unfairness of the situation. Still, she bit her tongue, not wanting to provoke an even more vengeance-filled stipulation to add to her already fatigued body.

"I'll work harder and try again," she managed through grit teeth. She looked away quickly, feeling her limbs tremble with aching from her statement.

He scoffed.

"An' waste more of my time? Bah!"

She gulped, waiting for his response which would decide what she did next.

"Git-outta here."

She almost let out a sigh of relief, holding it back just long enough to get out of his hearing range. She nearly ripped off her drenched shirt on her way but refrained when seeing the number of people still vacating the halls. It looked as though dinner was still in full throttle so she rushed straight to the cafeteria and ignored her need to shower. Besides, the other soldiers were always so insufferably smelly that showering beforehand would've been useless.

After collecting her food, Makoto found herself being flagged down by the platoon clown, his playful cobalt blue eyes shining too brightly for such a serious place. Makoto couldn't help but smirk, feeling slightly eased by his easy going personality. She often wondered how it was he ended up in an organization preparing for war but was stopped when discovering he held the Warehouse record below three minutes. He didn't look harmful but she knew that with a record like that, it couldn't have been a fluke.

"Hey babe!" He greeted. "You actually made it to dinner!"

Makoto smiled.

"Got lucky, I guess."

"I'll say!" he replied, a sheepish grin covering his face as his eyes trailed undoubtedly towards her chest.

"Don't even think about it," Makoto snapped, flicking his nose in reprimand before his eyes could reach their destination.

At times she was proud of her gifted chest but these days, she wished it were just a tad bit smaller. They earned her too much attention and with the number of crude, unromantic stories she had been hearing lately, she wanted nothing to do with sexual activity of any sort.

"Aww com'on babe!" He whined, making her laugh despite herself, though she stifled it quickly. "How am I supposed to let _those_ go by without noticing?"

She unconsciously put an arm across her chest as if to block people from looking, her shoulders shrugging as she graciously ate her food. It wasn't the best, but her body craved some kind of substance after the day long battle of training sessions.

"I don't know," she said. "But if you value your life, you should find a way."

"Tch," he frowned, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "Or you could just invest in a t-shirt and stop torturing me with these low-cut tank-tops and that black lace bra…"

Makoto's eyes jutted towards him, his hands flying up in protest soon after.

"Not that I was really looking!" He defended himself. "And I know it's not lace I was just –er, thinking out loud. Can't blame a guy for fantasizing, can you?"

She shook her head.

"Bob, you're digging yourself a really deep hole," Makoto warned, taking a sip of her milk and accidentally spilling some out of the corner of her mouth. Without thinking she licked up the spilt milk, her tongue sliding across her lips in an innocent reaction but viewed quite raunchily by her chestnut haired peer.

"God dammit, Mako," he cursed, nearly falling from his seat. "Torture must be your favorite hobby!"

"Uh, what?" She queried in surprise. It was clear she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Nothing," he said, scoffing to himself. He ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath and grabbing his jacket which he tossed over to her. "For the sake of mankind and all these depraved soldiers, myself included, could you please cover those up."

Makoto blinked, taking the jacket and shrugging it on.

"There," she smirked, "happy now?"

"Not exactly," Bob answered, brushing his braid over his shoulder. "But it'll do…for now."

She ignored the last part of his statement, recalling the many instances beforehand where he had attempted to lure her into the showers or even into his sleeping quarters. She could tell he had been successful many times just from his looks, that carefree charm, those broad shoulders and that devious smile of his which were enough to swoon the heart of any girl. Had he caught her around her home under normal circumstances, then she was certain she would've fallen into him without a chance of escape. But given their current situation, she had absolutely no intention to fall victim to anyone else's selfish wishes. It was enough that she had to go along with this whole operation she didn't agree with so she didn't need to add regretted sleep overs to the mix.

"And try not to spill your milk again."

"Huh?" She questioned, snapping quickly from her moment of reverie.

He scoffed. "Daydreaming again?" He noticed, ignoring her inquisitive stare.

She blushed, a charming reaction that made her seem so sweet and pure. Bob, or so he was named here, felt a slight pang in his chest, one he didn't like to feel and one that came often when she was involved. She didn't belong here, something that was blatantly clear to him since day one, but her talent with fighting was undeniable and he had trouble believing that it was a trait she acquired from instructional videos. That type of prowess was earned through experience.

"I was not," she muttered, taking a hasty bite of her chicken.

"You know," he started teasingly, his cobalt eyes glowing with amusement "For such a manly fighter, you are pretty girly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She spat back, not too enthused about being called a manly fighter or even girly. Both descriptions she could do well without, especially now.

"It's not a bad thing!" He assured. "It's kind of like having the best of both worlds."

"Pft," Makoto scoffed, unconvinced that either of those descriptions were meant as compliments. "Just do me a favor and stop talking," she requested, burying her eyes into her food.

"Aww com'on babe," he chimed. "You can tease me but I can't tease you? How is that fair?"

"I never teased you," She indignantly shot back, not liking the accusation that made her feel like a bully.

He laughed, leaning forward and partially unzipping his jacket around her shoulders until the zipper was just below her bust. She blushed when he was so close, but as her eyes followed his to look downward, the blush quickly faded.

"You bastard," she cursed, pushing him back and zipping the jacket back up. She was never one for such foul language, but it was a bad habit she was starting to pick up in the Warehouse.

"What?" He replied.

"That doesn't count as teasing," she quipped. "It's not like I can help it anyways, these shirts are part of the uniform and I didn't have a say in how large I wanted my chest to be."

"That might be true," he nodded in agreement. "But it isn't like they don't give us jackets to wear with the uniform. Some of us could construe your refusal to wear it as a method of cruel punishment."

She rolled her eyes, no longer interested in keeping up this debate.

"Whatever," she exasperated, grabbing her empty tray and heading for the trash.

"You're leaving me now?" Bob quizzed after her, his eyes unconsciously hypnotized by the smooth sway of her hips. "Why?"

"You know," she started without a single look over shoulder, "for a supposedly smart guy, you can be pretty stupid."

He laughed at her statement. Though he was disappointed that their conversation was cut short, he was still amused. From the table he watched as she slammed her tray onto the flat surface of the wooden receptacle and marched off. She didn't always lose her cool but since the General had started putting her through hell, her patience had taken a severe shot. Nevertheless, Bob found it fun being able to toy with her and even a bit intrigued by the mystery behind her skill and her perceived innocence. It was a perplexing thing, really, and it only made him more invested.

His smile dimmed when he locked eyes with an unruly haired Hiei and he sighed. Reality had a funny way of killing his mood. He nearly forgot where he was. Looking back to the tabletop, he grabbed his own tray and instinctively reached to his side for his loose items.

"My jacket." A smirk spread through his features, his eyes trailing to the exit where his newest brunette "friend" had heatedly stomped out of. If he was lucky, maybe she'd return it to him during the night…

He laughed. Nah, with the note she left on, he'd be lucky if he got it back in one piece.

* * *

Sorry so short! I was actually a bit surprised. Originally I intended on making this a Mako/Heero story but after this I'm seriously considering a Mako/Duo pairing which is rare for me ^^; There's an extremely small chance of a triangle but I hate triangles so...I don't know. Anyhow, I hope this wasn't a complete waste! And thank you for reading and of course for the reviews!

Aquatonic: Thank you for your review! I wish my sister would join in but she keeps telling me its not likely lol. I was so bummed but I can't force her I guess ^^; Anyhow, hope this chapter was okay!

l-annethunder: Thank you for your review! I'm pretty bad at reviewing too XD I read often but comment late or never ^^; It's a bad habit. But I'm glad you're reading this one and I'm so glad Mako's character hasn't been butchered. I struggle with that quite a bit so its good to hear that she comes out clearly so far. I hope that is still the case!

delvida: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like Makoto's portrayal! And I'm excited that it is believeable! That is probably one of my biggest goals when writing. I hope it continues to be a true to character story and of course believable and thank you so much for reading!

SmileysBasis: Thank you for your review! I am so happy you like this! Ah yes the couple, they are definitely guessable lol I tried to make it hard but really I couldn't find a way. I hope this chapter was okay and thank you so much for reading!

reded: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like Makoto's characterization. She's my favorite and I think this is probably the closest I've ever been to getting her character right. I hope you continue to like it and thank you so much for reading!

Iron-Mantis: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like it and hope this chapter was good!

nadeshiko-yuna: I agree it is pretty dark. I was a bit uncomfortable with the previous chapter since I'm unfamiliar with writing such dark themed things ^^; but so far it has been well received. I hope this chapter was okay though and doesn't make this fic seem completely bipolar since the mood is slightly lighter than the previous chapter. But of course, thank you so much for reading and for your review!

ShadowShikome: Thank you for your review! They're always so big and I always feel so cool when I get them ^^ I hope the confusion about Makoto's riot was cleared in this chapter. If it wasn't then I'll be more than happy to improve my explanation! The parents of the Fire Lotus are in deed a crucial pair and I will certainly clear up all their relations in time though I imagine they are pretty easy to assume XD And the blood! That too will return...if I can keep going with my updates that is...lol. We'll see. Again, thank you for your review and for reading!

JPandS


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